


Nightsleep

by Lunlun



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Kid Fic, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunlun/pseuds/Lunlun
Summary: A short story of Quark and Odo having adopted a Klingon baby.
Relationships: Odo/Quark (Star Trek)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7
Collections: Quodo Mini-fest





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Owl_Lady](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owl_Lady/gifts).



> Hello Owl Lady!
> 
> I hope you will have as much fun reading this as  
> I had fun reading your story "The Rules of Reincarnation"  
> It's ngl one of my most fave quodo fics out there, I'm addicted to it  
> I loved the premise, I love everything about it  
> see this as an open love letter to you
> 
> I do hope you will like it since your request was "soft domestic shit"  
> but I'm bad with "soft domestic shit" so it became something more than that  
> or maybe something less depending on how much fluff and how much  
> quark and odo ending up reminscensing about their past you prefer
> 
> But I honestly hope you will like it
> 
> much love!!! <3

Odo is standing in the door to their bedroom and watching Quark. In Quark’s arms is their little son, Ogrugh. He’s barely 10 months old and a handful. He dislikes being alone for extended periods of time, which makes it hard for Quark and Odo to find some time for themselves, even during the night. Ogrugh hates going to sleep, Odo presumes it’s because the darkness behind his eyelids reminds him that he might be alone. He frequently wakes up during the night too.

Quark shoots Odo a withering look as he tryy to get Ogrugh to sleep. Rocking him soothingly, pressed close to his chest and thus soft pajamas. Odo huffs an amused laugh, not too loud, but certainly loud enough for Quark to hear, which earns him a small glare in return.

Ogrugh was a Klingon orphan.

It was an interesting story how he even ended up in Quark and Odo’s care. Their parents had been on the station, not even on duty, a family trip more like it. Yet as fate so wanted their ship was the closest to a small dispute between some Klingon Birds-of-Prey and Romulan Warbids. In that unfortunate exchange, their ship had been hit, resulting in no survivors.

Ogrugh had been on the station, in Sisko’s care at the time.

There was a week of time where the station got in contact with the infant’s close family but surprisingly the house of Jawral had not arrived to claim him, instead sent them a less than nice note to keep him. They never got an explanation as to why. They didn't want him, that was it. The child had been about to shipped into a Klingon orphanage when Quark offered to take him in.

Another surprise.

Odo smiles fondly as their child slowly nods off. Quark is still rocking him gently. Murmuring something into his ear. He was good with children. Much better than Odo was. Odo had to suppress a laugh when he realizes that Ogrugh was doing that thing where he pretended to sleep, Odo could even see from where he was standing how he slowly opened his eyes in between to check if Quark was still around. Maybe he feared that Quark and Odo would leave him too. Even infants must understand the change of looks, smell and feeling of the person holding them every day.

After another ten minutes Quark lowers Ogrugh gently onto their bed, covers him with a blanket and places one of Quark’s jackets close to him. That helped. Sometimes. To make him sleep longer and if they were lucky even through the night.

Quark straightens up but his eyes don’t leave Ogrugh. On his face a soft look, like Ogrugh was everything he’d missed in life. Odo feels a tight pull in his core, with the image in front of him. He can’t stop smiling even when Quark looks up at him, there’s a short moment where even his tiredness seems to disappear with the happy smile on his face. He makes his way out of their bedroom slowly, slinks past Odo. Odo looks one last time at Ogrugh’s sleeping form on their bed curled around Quark’s jacket like it was Quark and then leavs after dimming the light, the doors close behind him softly.

“Nightmare?” Odo asks when Quark sits down on their couch.

“No, the usual.” Quark huffs. “I’d have been surprised if he didn’t wake up.” He shakes his head as he takes the nail polish from their couch table. He had been about to apply it when the baby started crying.

“He is a handful.” Odo remarks as he sits down beside him.

“Yes.” Quark sighs, puts the nail polish back down and leans back in the couch, his hands come up to rub at his temples. “Do you think he will ever get used to us?” He turns his head toward Odo.

“Give him time.” Odo says, he brings his hand to Quark’s upper arm, rubs it soothingly. “He's barely two months with us. He didn’t have a proper caregiver since his parents’ death.”

Quark nods thoughtfully before he lays his head back on the headrest of the couch. He looks up into the ceiling as he talks. “I suppose not.”

Silence stretches between them. Quark doesn’t look like he is in a good mood any longer so Odo pulls closer, extends his arms, and pulls Quark towards his chest. Quark doesn’t resist, cuddles closer to him, his face pressed to Odo’s chest.

“He reminds me of myself.” Quark says quietly.

Odo says nothing as he starts rubbing Quark’s arm.

“I used to cry a lot after my father died.” He bites his lower lip. “Nobody really looked after us. It was hard. Having to fend for myself and my family. Without anybody who could stick up for me. Or protect me.” He pauses. “I missed him a lot. The sound of his voice and steps. His smell and his face.”

Odo draws Quark closer to himself, securely in an embrace meant to comfort him. Quark starts laughing, nasal. “It’s kind of unfair that I’m telling you. You after all had nobody when Mora found you and… and did all those terrible things to you.”

Odo looks down to Quark. “I’ve had my closure, Quark.”

“Did you?” Quark looks up into Odo’s eyes, there are unshed tears in their corners. Odo doesn’t answer, so Quark settles back on his chest, Odo continues rubbing his arm. “Because I see it in you too. When you look at him. I recognize the need to protect him and to give him what you didn’t have.”

Odo pauses shortly, stops stroking along Quark’s arm. “Maybe.” He answers quietly.

Quark hums. “Look at us, two old men crying about the past.”

Odo grunts amused. Silence settles over them once more. Odo can hear drunk people clambering to their own quarters just outside their door. He sighs and turns to look at Quark. There had been a question he’s been meaning to ask Quark since they took Ogrugh in. “Why did you offer to take him in, Quark?” Odo asks carefully.

Quark quiets down, his breathing becomes flat as he thinks. “I – ” He pushes his face closer to Odo’s chest. “I’m not sure.” He pauses then continues. “That’s a lie.” He admits, turns to look at Odo, an unreadable expression in his face as he talks on. “Nobody wanted him, Odo…” He takes a deep breath as he looks past Odo’s head at the wall behind him. “Nobody deserves to be unwanted.” He swallows thickly. “It’s cruel, lonely, helpless.”

Odo nods. That’s something they could relate to. Odo thanks to the Founders, Doctor Mora and Quark… Quark thanks to his mother. Despite having a family there was a cruel cleft between them when his mother made clear again and again who her favorite was and who not. And as much as one may know they aren’t hated or unwanted, despite the cruel words, it hurt, deeply. Lead to the feeling of unwantedness.

Odo knows, that Quark has those thoughts and issues about abandonment. It had taken time for them to wade through their shared issues. Taken time to be on a level where they could communicate successfully and find solutions, give each other a sense of true security in their relationship.

“Okay enough.” Quark suddenly says, untangling himself from their embrace. “I can think of a thousand conversations more fun than the one we’re having right now.”

Odo huffs. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” Quark pauses turns to Odo. “Or do you think our current conversation is fun?”

Odo looks at him and then grabs him by his arms playfully pulling him back against his chest. “I’d say finding out more about you is fun.”

Quark giggles in his arms as he turns until they’re chest to chest. “Your romanticism is off the roof, Casanova.” Quark grins up to Odo with hooded eyes.

Odo hums as he leans closer to Quark. “I learned from the worst.”

“Yes, those awful novels.”

Odo rolls his eyes and leans down to kiss Quark gentle and slow. Quark’s body is plush against his, his lips soft, his skin warm.

Even twenty years later Odo was still addicted to the feeling.

“I love you.” Quark murmurs when their lips part.

Odo murmurs, “I love you too,” and kisses Quark again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I tried adding a little more domestic fluff, I really did try.

“Is Kirayoshi here yet?” Quark asks as he puts his make up on.

“No, not yet.” Comes Odo’s voice from the living room. “He should be here soon. You know he has a child of his own.”

Quark huffs from the bedroom. “He offered to babysit, Odo, we didn’t ask him.”

He hears Odo sigh, then steps follow until Odo comes to a halt at the door to their bedroom. Quark turns to him, rises his brows as if asking what? But then the look dissolves into a smile. Ogrugh was babbling and blubbering as he held onto Odo’s uniform. Odo’s uniform…

“You won’t be going with the uniform, right?” Quark frowns.

Odo looks at him unimpressed and changes the arm with which he holds Ogrugh. “Just get ready, Quark.”

The door rings and just like that Quark is left alone in the bedroom. He applies the last of his make up quickly, as he tries to listen in on what’s being said at the door. He quickly throws his jacket on and stumbles out of the room. He had to talk to Kirayoshi. What if Odo forgets to mention all the important details?

“Kirayoshi!” He says, opens his arms for a quick greeting. “Thank you so much for taking care of Ogrugh for tonight.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Kiroyoshi smiles. “Jamie can’t wait to finally meet him. She’s been so busy lately she barely got around to visiting her brother Jake after he’s come to the station for a visit.” He pauses and looks at Ogrugh. “And I’ve been looking forward to having Ogrugh to myself for a while too. He’s the sweetest.”

“Yes, you barely notice that he’s going to grow into an honor obsessed killing machine.” Quark sees the frown thrown his way by Odo, but he doesn’t mind it as he takes Ogrugh into his arms and places him gently in Kirayoshi’s. Part of him wants to take Ogrugh right back. He clears his throat, smooths his suit down before he keeps talking. “He doesn’t like being alone during the night, tends to wake up a lot too.” He pauses. “But I think we should be back soon enough to take him back home for his night sleep.” He realizes, now, that Ogrugh is in Kirayoshi’s arms, that he isn’t so sure about a night out with Odo. But he powers through. “But if we uh… aren’t.” He looks around for a second and realizes just then that Odo is holding his jacket toward him, the one Ogrugh always cuddles up to. “He likes sleeping with this.” Kirayoshi takes the jacket.

“Anything else?” he asks before he boops Ogrugh’s nose. “We will have a lot of fun, right little man?” He coos at Ogrugh.

Quark licks his lips nervously. Ogrugh is in good hands, he reminds himself again before he clears his throat. “No, nothing really.” He pauses then adds quickly, “of course, he is in an exclusively Klingon diet since that’s what his body needs. He eats at point 1900. What else?” He looks at Odo.

Odo sighs, “that’s it.” He looks at Quark then turns to face Kirayoshi. “We should be back at 2200. We appreciate your help.”

“As I said, no problem.” Kirayoshi grins. “I bet my little Benjamin will love to play with him. He likes playing with younger children so much. It’s like he’s trying to teach them.” He huffs amused. “Well, then.” He adjusts Ogrugh in his arms and nods toward Odo and Quark. “Have fun you two.” Then he turns and leaves, talking to Ogrugh as he makes his way to the turbolift.

“Do you think we made the right decision?” Quark asks Odo.

“Kiryaoshi knows how to handle toddlers, Quark.”

“I know…” Quark still can’t stop watching him leave. “Maybe we should’ve taken Ogrugh with us.”

“Quark.” Odo sighs. “It will be fine. Now finish getting dressed.”

Quark nods, peels himself reluctantly from the doorway and goes back into their bedroom.

* * *

Their meal had been perfect. Just on the verge of romantic and comfortable. They’ve returned to their quarters, Ogrugh is asleep in his cradle while Odo and Quark are lying in bed. Quark places his head on Odo’s chest. They’re wrapped up in each other’s arms. Comfortable and warm.

“I love you.” Odo whispers quietly.

Quark smiles, cuddles closer to Odo. He pauses for a moment until a question comes to his mind that has him smile stupidly. “Could you have imagined being here twenty years ago?” He asks softly against Odo’s chest.

“No.”

Quark huffs amused. “Me neither.” He pauses. “Honestly, I thought I’d have my own moon by now. And a couple of children, a wife.”

“You did get the children right.” Odo muses, Quark can hear his grin.

“Children, Odo, not child.” Quark counters, props himself up to be able to look at Odo’s face. “What did you imagine your life to look like?”

Odo looks back at him, silence fills the room for a moment. “I never thought about what the future could hold.” Odo admits slowly.

“Really?”

“Yes." Odo purses his lips, then after a moment of silence he keeps talking. "Shortly after I returned to the link…” He pauses, “they made clear that dreams and wishes were not fit in a world of order.”

Quark takes a deep breath and exhales through his nose. “They sound so boring.”

Odo laughs silently, his arm pulls Quark closer. “They are different.” He kisses the top of Quark’s head. “But I think it was part of why I couldn’t stay there much longer after… they were cured.” He sighs, “maybe I’ve had become too different to them. They are attuned to order, it’s their very being and despite my wish for it as well… I don’t seem to do well surrounded by it.” He pauses. “I think.”

Quark grunts a laugh as he places his chin on Odo’s chest. “So that’s why you ended up with me.”

Odo rolls his eyes. “Perhaps.”

Quark sighs as he lies back down, making himself comfortable as he cuddles close to Odo. It’s warm and safe here. He closes his eyes, ready to sleep and just as he’s about to doze off he mumbles, quietly, “I’m glad my life turned out like this.”

He just faintly hears Odo’s amused huff before he says. “Sleep, Quark.”

Then Quark does disappear into the land of dreams.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave me a comment!  
> They add to my life,  
> help me become an immortal!


End file.
